The North Beach of the Uninhabited Island was a desolate, rocky place. There was no fine white sand here like on the south beach; only sharp pebbles and waves that crashed violently against the reefs.
The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in a blood-red hue that faded into the color of a dark purple bruise. The last light of the day cast long shadows across the rocks.
Seiji Koroizumi stood there, facing the ocean, letting the salty breeze ruffle his hair. He stood relaxed, both hands tucked into the pockets of his sweatpants.
No fighting stance. No tension.
Only absolute tranquility.
Behind a large boulder, about twenty meters from Seiji's position, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sat silently. He regulated his breathing so that it blended perfectly with the sounds of nature. He was a silent witness, a living surveillance camera recording every single detail.
"You came alone. Good."
Seiji's voice cut through the sound of the crashing waves. He didn't turn around, but he knew his guest had arrived.
Heavy footsteps crunched against the gravel. Ryuen Kakeru walked closer. He was indeed alone—physically, at least. However, the aura he carried was as heavy as a platoon of street thugs.
Ryuen wore his uniform shirt completely unbuttoned, exposing his sweaty chest. His face no longer wore its usual sadistic amusement. His expression was serious. Focused. Lethal.
"You invited me to a dance party, Koroizumi," Ryuen said, stopping five paces behind Seiji. "I won't disappoint you. I'm going to break your legs so you can never dance again."
Seiji turned around slowly. A faint smile graced his face.
"Physical violence is a violation of the rules, Ryuen-kun. If you hit me, your class gets disqualified."
"Kukuku..." Ryuen smirked. He pulled a bottle of mineral water from his pocket, took a small sip, and tossed it aside. "Who says I care? My strategy now is Mutual Destruction. If I fall, I'm dragging you down with me. Besides..."
Ryuen cracked his neck loudly.
"...in this isolated place, with no witnesses, who's going to prove I hit you? I can just say you slipped on the rocks."
"Solid thug logic," Seiji praised. "But there's one flaw in your plan."
"What's that?"
"You're assuming you can actually hit me."
Ryuen's eyes flashed with anger. The provocation had worked.
"You arrogant bastard!"
Ryuen lunged.
His movements were fast for a high school student. It wasn't formal martial arts, but a brutal, efficient street-brawling style. He aimed for Seiji's face with a vicious right hook.
Whoosh!
The punch sliced through empty air.
Seiji didn't block it. He merely shifted his left foot ten centimeters backward and tilted his head slightly. Ryuen's fist passed a mere inch in front of his nose.
Ryuen didn't stop. He used the momentum of his spin to launch a kick aimed at Seiji's ribs.
Seiji stepped forward—not backward—stepping right into the range of Ryuen's guard (the Inner Circle). He pressed his shoulder against Ryuen's chest, stopping the momentum of the kick before it could reach its full power.
"Too wide," Seiji whispered right into Ryuen's ear. "You left your solar plexus, kidneys, and neck wide open. If I were holding a pen right now, you would already be dead three times over."
Seiji gave a gentle push.
Ryuen stumbled backward, losing his balance due to his attack being abruptly cut short.
"Tch!" Ryuen spat. He reset his stance, much more wary this time. "Don't underestimate me!"
Ryuen attacked again. A combination of straight punches, elbows, and knee strikes. Attacks designed to inflict severe injury.
However, to Seiji, Ryuen's movements looked like they were in slow motion.
Seiji moved like water. He flowed through the gaps between the strikes.
When Ryuen punched, Seiji pivoted to his side. When Ryuen kicked, Seiji performed a small hop. When Ryuen tried to grab his shirt, Seiji swatted the hand away with a smooth, yet painful flick of the wrist.
It wasn't a fight. It was a one-sided dance.
"Why... why won't you attack?!" Ryuen yelled in frustration, his breathing growing ragged. Sweat poured down his face. He had thrown dozens of strikes, yet he hadn't even touched the edge of Seiji's clothes.
"Because I am your Teacher now," Seiji answered calmly. He stood with one foot resting on a rock, looking down at Ryuen.
"A teacher's duty is to correct a student's mistakes, not to torture them. Ryuen, you rely on fear. You think that because you don't fear pain, you are invincible. You think that because you're willing to play dirty, you are a king."
Seiji hopped down, landing soundlessly on the sand.
"But in this world... there are monsters that exist far beyond the spectrum of your fear."
"SHUT UP!"
Ryuen roared. He grabbed a handful of sand and hurled it at Seiji's face—a dirty street trick meant to blind an opponent.
Seiji closed his eyes just in time. However, he didn't stop moving.
Relying entirely on his hearing and spatial perception, Seiji ducked, evading the tackle Ryuen launched immediately after throwing the sand.
Then, with his eyes still closed, Seiji extended his leg, hooking Ryuen's foot mid-sprint.
Thud!
Ryuen fell face-first, kissing the sharp gravel.
"Damn it..." Ryuen tried to get up, but a hand pressed down on his back. It wasn't a forceful push, but a heavy, absolute pressure applied exactly at his body's center of gravity, making it impossible for him to stand.
Seiji opened his eyes. He crouched beside the prone Ryuen.
"The sand trick. A classic. 5 points for effort, but 0 points for execution," Seiji commented.
"Kill me..." Ryuen hissed, his pride shattered to pieces. "Break my arm. Do it! If you don't, I will get up and kill you!"
Seiji removed his hand from Ryuen's back. He stood up and took a few steps back.
"Get up."
Ryuen rose slowly, wiping the blood from his gravel-scraped lip. He glared at Seiji in disbelief. "You're... mocking me?"
"No. I pity you," Seiji said. His voice had lost all traces of its playful Nurufufufu tone. Now, his voice was as cold as the ice in a morgue.
"You want to see violence? You want to see what happens when I get serious?"
Suddenly, the atmosphere on the beach drastically changed.
Seiji didn't move. He simply... released the restraint on his aura.
Bloodlust.
The pure aura of The Reaper—the world's number one assassin who had claimed thousands of lives—exploded outward from Seiji's slender frame.
The air grew heavy. The sound of the crashing waves seemed to fade away. The seagulls stopped their squawking.
Ryuen Kakeru, who had lived his entire life steeped in violence, suddenly felt a sensation he had never experienced before: Primal Terror.
In his eyes, Seiji Koroizumi was no longer a high school student. The shadow behind the young man expanded, morphing into a massive, pitch-black, formless entity ready to swallow him whole. He could feel a cold blade against his throat, his heart, his eyes—even though Seiji was standing five meters away from him.
Ryuen's knees shook. Not from exhaustion, but because his body's deepest instincts were screaming at him: RUN! OR DIE!
From behind his hiding spot, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka also felt that pressure. His pupils contracted.
So this is it... Ayanokouji thought to himself. This isn't the result of ordinary martial arts training. This is an aura of death forged on an actual battlefield. Koroizumi Seiji... you aren't an experimental product. You are a survivor of war.
Seiji pulled his aura back in just as quickly as he had unleashed it.
The world returned to normal. The wind began to blow again.
Ryuen fell to his knees, gasping for air as if he had just been drowning. Cold sweat drenched his entire body.
"That..." Ryuen's voice trembled. "What was that...?"
"That is the difference between a street thug and a professional, Ryuen," Seiji said gently. He walked closer and offered his hand—this time, to help Ryuen up.
"Your violence is nothing but the screams of a child demanding attention. You want to control others because you are terrified of being controlled yourself. But true power... is restraint."
Ryuen stared at Seiji's hand. He didn't take it. He slapped it away roughly, then struggled to his feet on his own.
"I don't need... your lectures..." Ryuen muttered, though his voice no longer held any venom.
He had lost. A crushing defeat. Without a single physical blow landing on his body, his very soul had been beaten to a pulp.
"You win," Ryuen said, looking away. "Satisfied?"
"Not yet," Seiji replied. "I promised to tell you who the Leader of Class C is if you could hit me. But since you failed, I will not tell you."
Seiji turned around and began to walk away.
"However, I will give you one free hint. Consider it a consolation prize."
Ryuen looked up.
"The Leader..." Seiji pointed toward his own shadow, which stretched long across the sand.
"...is the person you ignored the most because you were too busy staring at the sun."
Seiji waved without looking back.
"See you at the results announcement, Ryuen-kun. Try not to cause any more trouble tonight. Sleep well."
Ryuen stood alone on the beach. Seiji's words echoed in his head. The person you ignored the most.
He looked at the setting sun. He looked at the shadows.
"Who?" Ryuen screamed at the waves. "WHO?!"
But the ocean offered no answer.
Forest Trail - The Trek Back.
Seiji walked leisurely back toward camp. Ayanokouji emerged from his hiding spot and walked beside him.
"You're cruel," Ayanokouji commented flatly.
"Me?" Seiji chuckled. "I didn't even lay a finger on him."
"You shattered him mentally. To someone like Ryuen, that is far worse than broken bones."
"He needed it. In order to grow," Seiji said. "He needs to learn that there is always a sky above the sky. If he remains arrogant, he will be crushed by people like Sakayanagi or Nagumo in the second year."
"You care about him?"
"I care about potential. Ryuen has potential. He's just misguided."
They walked in silence for a while.
"By the way, Koroizumi," Ayanokouji spoke up. "That hint... 'The person you ignored the most'. That's Matsushita, isn't it?"
"Of course. Matsushita Chiaki. The girl who is always in the background, filing her nails, complaining, and who was never once considered a threat by Ryuen."
"You gave him the key."
"Not literally. Ryuen is too blinded by his own ego to solve that riddle right now. He's still fixated on 'Koroizumi' or 'Horikita'. His pride is covering his eyes."
Seiji looked at Ayanokouji.
"Just like you, Ayanokouji-kun. People ignore you because you choose to be ignored. You and Matsushita... you are the exact same species. Chameleons."
Ayanokouji didn't deny it. "Perhaps."
"Tomorrow is the final day. The Leader guessing phase. We've already won, Ayanokouji. Class C is going to score massive points."
"What about Class A?" Ayanokouji asked. "Ichinose has already been ruined."
"Ichinose?" Seiji smiled mysteriously. "Never underestimate a desperate merchant. Her market may have collapsed, but she still has the transaction data. She knows who the leaders of Class B and D are, courtesy of the loose lips of those who bought water from her."
"So Class A will survive?"
"They will do much more than just survive. They will profit."
Seiji looked up at the increasingly starry sky.
"Tomorrow, the scoreboard will change drastically. And the hierarchy of this school... will completely collapse."
Day 7. Afternoon.
The moment of truth had arrived.
On the deck of the Speranza, the students from all four classes gathered once again. Their faces were sunburnt, their bodies thin and exhausted, yet their eyes burned with anticipation for the results.
Ryuen stood apart from his class, his face gloomy. He had already filled out his guessing form. He guessed Horikita Suzune for Class C. His ego rejected Seiji's hint. He was certain Seiji was just bluffing.
Sakayanagi sat in her wheelchair, smiling sweetly. She guessed Horikita Suzune as well. She had severely underestimated Class C.
Ichinose stood tall, despite her exhausted face. She had filled out the form using the data she had gathered from her market "customers".
And Suzune... she stood calmly, holding Class C's form.
Mashima-sensei stepped up to the podium.
"The exam is over. All data has been verified. The Spot bonus points have been calculated. And the Leader guesses have been checked."
A tense silence fell over the deck.
"Here are the final results."
The giant electronic board behind Mashima lit up. The numbers began to roll.
4th Place: Class B (Sakayanagi's Class)
Starting Points: 300Expenses: -120 (Fortress comforts)Spot Bonuses: +20Correct Guesses: 0Guessed Penalty: -50 (Yahiko was correctly guessed by Classes A and C)Final Total: 150 Points.
Katsuragi's face went pale. "How... how did they know it was Yahiko?"
Sakayanagi was no longer smiling. Her eyes glared sharply at Ichinose and Suzune. "I underestimated their information network."
3rd Place: Class D (Ryuen's Class)
Starting Points: 300Expenses: 0 (Zero Point Strategy)Spot Bonuses: 0Correct Guesses: 0Guessed Penalty: -50 (Ryuen was correctly guessed by Classes A, B, and C - far too obvious)Health & Sanitation Penalty: -40 (Multiple students fell ill due to unboiled water)Final Total: 210 Points.
Ryuen clicked his tongue loudly. He had lost. His frugal strategy was ruined by health penalties and his failure to guess the opposing leaders.
"Damn it..." he hissed. His eyes searched the crowd for Seiji.
2nd Place: Class C (Horikita/Koroizumi's Class)
Starting Points: 300Expenses: -90Spot Bonuses: +40 (Matsushita operated effectively)Correct Guesses: 2 (Guessed Ryuen and Yahiko) -> +100Guessed Penalty: -50 (Matsushita was correctly guessed by Class A)Final Total: 300 Points.
"Three hundred!" Ike cheered. "We got maximum points!"
Suzune breathed a sigh of relief. The Invisible Hydra strategy had worked. However, there was one surprise.
"Who guessed Matsushita?" Suzune asked, confused. "Ryuen guessed my name (incorrect). Sakayanagi guessed my name (incorrect)."
Seiji pointed toward Class A.
"Ichinose," Seiji said.
1st Place: Class A (Ichinose's Class)
Starting Points: 300Expenses: -250 (Massive Market Capital)Remaining Points: 50Spot Bonuses: +80 (Prime physical condition due to good food, controlled many spots)Correct Guesses: 3 (Guessed Ryuen, Yahiko, AND Matsushita) -> +150Guessed Penalty: 0 (No one guessed Class A's leader)Cave Spot Monopoly Bonus: +50Final Total: 330 Points.
"Three hundred and thirty?!"
Ichinose Honami smiled, this time with tears of joy in her eyes.
She had won.
Even though her market was destroyed, she had managed to gather crucial information from the loose lips of an off-guard Class C student (likely Yamauchi, who slipped up while trying to flirt with Class A girls before Kei shut him down).
And Class A's leader? It wasn't Ichinose. It wasn't Kanzaki.
It was a student named Satomura, who had spent the entire exam sitting quietly guarding the logistics tent, looking like nothing more than an unimportant warehouse keeper.
"First Place goes to Class A!" Mashima announced.
Amidst the cheers of Class A and Class C celebrating their success (since Class C still secured a massive amount of points), Seiji walked over to Suzune.
"We lost to Ichinose," Suzune said, slightly disappointed.
"We won the long-term war," Seiji corrected her. "We gained 300 class points. Our total is now 1,340 points. We have surpassed Class B and are closing in on Class A."
Seiji looked at Ichinose, who was currently being hugged by her classmates.
"And Ichinose... she proved that my method was right. Creating value is the path to victory. I'm proud of her."
Ryuen walked past them, his face dark. He didn't say a word, but the look he gave Seiji promised a much crueler retribution in the future.
Sakayanagi approached, being pushed in her wheelchair by Kamuro.
"Congratulations, Koroizumi-kun," Sakayanagi said. "You hid Matsushita very well. I was fooled by your card decoy at the spring. Ryuen was an absolute fool to believe it."
"Thank you, Sakayanagi-san. Next time, try not to underestimate the 'commoners' so much," Seiji replied.
The Island Exam had concluded. The school hierarchy had shifted once again.
Class A remained at the top. Class C rocketed upward, becoming a terrifying new power. Class B slipped down. And Class D plunged to rock bottom.
On the deck of the ship as it began its journey back to the port, Seiji Koroizumi felt the sea breeze caress his face.
"Lesson complete," he murmured. "Now, it's time for a real vacation."
And deep within the shadows, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stared at Seiji's back, wondering just how high that monster was going to carry this class.
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